


Making it Work

by Otaku67



Series: Erwin, Levi, and their children, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Family, M/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 14:32:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1861425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otaku67/pseuds/Otaku67
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erwin's a librarian. Levi's a Starbucks cashier. Erwin has custody of his son from an affair he doesn't remember; Levi has to support two kids of his own. Love was never on their agenda, but once the super attractive librarian falls head over heels for the super grumpy cashier, and vice versa, they make room.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making it Work

Nobody ever seriously thought, “My life goal is to be a Starbucks cashier.” But Levi Ackerman didn’t have much of a choice. After being fired from six mediocre-paying jobs, all for either being rude to customers or back-talking his boss, he had to take whatever he was given if he didn’t want to lose everything that was important to him. So here he was wearing a stupid green apron in a big stupid library, sucking up his pride and preparing to take orders.

 

His first customer of his career approached. He was a blue-eyed man with a slick blonde undercut, and looked like he could be a football coach yet also a Calvin Klein model or a Harvard graduate. There was no reason to deny it: the man was attractive. Levi’s register was the only one open so he walked right up to it. “Can I help you?” Levi tried his best to sound cheerful, or at least like he didn’t want to die.

 

“You certainly can. May I have a vanilla latte? Nothing added to it,” the man asked. He was wearing a nametag reading “Erwin Smith.” Either he worked nearby, or here at the library.

 

“Anything else?”

 

“No thank you.”

 

Levi told him his price and submitted his order. It was a slow morning, so Erwin Smith didn’t need to give him his name. After paying, he only waited a few minutes before Levi handed him his drink. “Thank you very much! Have a nice day.” He flashed him a smile; a dazzling smile that seemed to twinkle. Levi restrained a disgusted look and only stared at him with a deadpan expression until he walked away.

~-~-~-~-~-~

Erwin Smith was back again the following day. The lines were about even for each register, but he selected Levi’s again and ordered another vanilla latte with nothing added to it. He did the same the day after that. And the next day. Business was booming the morning after that, so he had to give Levi his name. Levi acted as if he hadn’t already read his nametag; didn’t want to make the customers look dumb. The next day, Levi’s register was the only one with a line. Erwin waited in it anyway.

 

It was no surprise when the following morning, Erwin Smith was waiting in Levi’s line again. Levi wondered if it was just a coincidence, or if he had some strange interest in him. He didn’t like to dwell on it, though; at least he was getting customers. “I’ll have a-”

 

“I know,” Levi cut him off. It wasn’t the best etiquette to interrupt your customers, but Erwin didn’t seem particularly peeved. Levi put him in for a vanilla latte with nothing added. Erwin was actually going to ask for an iced tea that day, but this had been the first time he had heard the short dark-eyed man say something other than the typical “Can I help you?” “Anything else?” or “That’ll be __ dollars.” So he just smiled that handsome smile of his and waited for the latte he wasn’t entirely in the mood for.

~-~-~-~-~-~

On the following weekend, Erwin was back as usual. But this time he wasn’t alone. A little boy, nothing but straight blonde hair and huge blue eyes, was clinging to his leg and peeking around shyly. He would have been tiny enough even if not in comparison with the colossally tall man he stood beside. “My usual, please, but can I throw in a cookie and a chocolate milk?”

 

“Sure thing,” Levi replied, glancing down at the little boy as he pushed buttons on his register. “....cute kid,” he commented. His eyes skirted across Erwin’s fingers in search of a wedding band. There was nothing.

 

“Thank you,” Erwin smiled proudly. “His daycare was closed today and I couldn’t find a babysitter, so, he gets to come to work with Daddy! It’s embarrassing to admit, but I don’t even remember ever getting together with his mother… But he’s clearly mine,” he gestured at his hair and his eyes, “and I’m glad she forced custody on me.” He chuckled lightly. “He’s an angel.” The little boy hid farther behind Erwin’s legs.

 

Levi stared at him uncaringly for a moment. He was just making a casual comment, he didn’t ask for his life story. ...but he had struck an interest in him. There was nobody behind Erwin in line, and there would still be a couple minutes until his latte was ready. “I’ve got two kids of my own. Wouldn’t be working this shitty job if I didn’t.” He reached under his apron into his pants pocket, and took out his wallet, where he kept a fairly recent picture of his two children. “The one with the black hair’s my baby girl. Real quiet, but real smart. Always happy. The boy’s parents got caught up in some bad shit, so he’s mine now. All energy, a damn little brat,” he explained. “...Mikasa and Eren,” he added, even though Erwin hadn’t asked. Perhaps he was being a little hypocritical. But he couldn’t help getting a bit talkative when it came to his kids.

 

“They’re adorable,” Erwin praised, observing the picture with a smile. He ruffled his son’s hair affectionately. “This little mouse is Armin.”

 

“Hey, Armin.” Armin clearly didn’t realize how rare it was to get a greeting out of Levi Ackerman, as he only squeaked and buried his face in the back of Erwin’s leg in response. Levi scowled, though just a little. Kids would be kids. “How old is he?”

 

“Three. He’s tiny, huh?”

 

“Oy, Mikasa turned three a few weeks ago… And Eren’s third birthday is coming up,” Levi told him. He had no idea why he was opening up like this to a stranger… ...yes he did. His kids were his weak spot.

 

“Wow, same age, then! Perhaps we should arrange a playdate for them sometime,” Erwin suggested. Levi gave a slight nod to his head, neither fully agreeing nor disagreeing with the idea. Erwin’s latte was ready, anyway, and Levi handed it over with the cookie and the milk. He heard Armin murmur a “thank you” before they left.

~-~-~-~-~-~

The library was prone to hosting all sorts of free little events, and amongst them was a children’s theatre day. Eren’s birthday was coming up and Levi didn’t have the money to do anything special for him (he had taken them to a petting zoo for Mikasa’s, and that ended in disaster when a goat tried to eat her favorite scarf), so he hoped this would suffice. It was Levi’s day off, and so he finally got to go the library in clothes that weren’t humiliating.

 

Erwin was there, with Armin.

 

He and Levi seemed to take notice of each other at the same time. Just as Levi started walking over to him, one hand in Mikasa’s and the other holding onto Eren’s arm, Erwin smiled at him and waved him down. “You sure do go here a lot,” Levi remarked in greeting.

 

“Yes, well, it _is_ my library.”

 

It took a lot to embarrass Levi. But at the moment, he wanted to slap himself in the face and ask how in the hell he could be so stupid. Of course, it was called Smith Library, but he hadn’t made the connection….

 

“So I assume you’re here for the theatre?” Good, Erwin didn’t seem to notice his moment of stupidity. Maybe he thought he was being funny.

 

“Yeah. Thought I’d take the kids out for a day… Eren, Mikasa, this is Erwin.”

 

Erwin put on his charming smile and leaned closer to their level, hands on his knees. “Hello, little ones! You’re even cuter in person.”

 

Mikasa blushed and pulled up her scarf, giving a little wave. Eren was gaping up at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. “ _Tall,”_ he breathed. Erwin laughed and ruffled his hair, standing up a little straighter. This made Eren gasp.

 

“Well, thank you! Here’s someone a little more your height… Armin, this is Eren and Mikasa. Say hello!”

 

Armin was tiny enough that he was perfectly hidden behind Erwin without even trying that much. He peeked out around him, cheeks red and eyebrows furrowed timidly. “...u-um… Hello…”

 

“Hi!” Eren greeted immediately, pulling away from Levi and scrambling over to Armin to shake his hand. “You’s gonna be mine’s friend, mkay?” he declared. Armin let out a confused little squeak.

 

“....okay-!”

 

Eren grinned big and gave Armin a hug. The little blonde looked like he was going to either faint or cry.

 

“Looks like it’s starting soon,” Erwin pointed out as a small crowd of children started forming around the little stage in the back of the children’s reading section. Eren, already bored of hugging Armin, started to bolt off in the direction of the seats, but Levi grabbed him before he got too far.

 

“If you don’t behave, I’ll beat your butt till it’s pink,” Levi muttered between his teeth. Eren’s eyes bugged out of his head and he nodded twice, grabbing Mikasa’s and a startled Armin’s hands and pulling them away.

 

“...do you actually beat him?” Erwin asked hesitantly, watching to make sure he could see where the kids sat themselves.

 

“Fuck no,” Levi answered immediately. “I’d sooner cut my hand off before I’d lay it on him. But he doesn’t know that.”

 

Erwin smiled. “Well, if threatening him keeps him in line.”

 

“It’s the only thing that does.”

This was not the last time they ran into each other outside of Starbucks.

 ~-~-~-~-~-~

The most inexpensive way for Levi to keep his kids entertained was to take them down to the park a few blocks away from their apartment. He thought he was going crazy when he saw a big handsome blonde man pushing a tiny blonde boy on the swings, but it was true: Erwin and Armin were at the very same playground.

 

 _“ARM!”_ Eren shrieked, breaking away from Levi and dashing over to the swings. His attention span was short, but he wasn’t soon to forget a friend he had made.

 

“Levi Ackerman, fancy meeting you here!” It was then that Levi realized he had never properly introduced himself to Erwin, but he assumed he’d read his nametag.

 

“Small world,” Levi agreed, setting Mikasa on the ground.

 

“...um… Go play?” Armin asked so quietly that only Erwin could hear him.

 

“Of course,” Erwin murmured back with a smile. He helped the boy off the swing and ruffled his hair, advising him to be careful as he toddled off with Eren and Mikasa.

 

Levi and Erwin stood off to the side, keeping a watchful eye on their children as they romped around. “They seem to get along,” Erwin commented.

 

“Eren gets along with everything with a pulse,” Levi retorted with a raised eyebrow. “And Mikasa gets along with everyone that gets along with Eren.”

 

Erwin laughed. “Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Armin come out of his shell so easily. Especially not around other kids. You’ve got a nice duo, there.”

 

“...sure do.” Levi paused. Erwin had already told him that Armin was the result of a forgotten affair, even though he never asked, so surely it would be fine if he let Erwin know a little more about his own kids’ stories. “Mikasa’s mom was a nice woman. Too nice. Had a crush on me all throughout high school, and I only dated her ‘cause I was bored. But she was so into me, I couldn’t just turn her down. Right out of high school, she asked to get married. I went along with it, we ran off, and she got pregnant. But right after Mikasa was born, her dad found us and took her away. ...I wasn’t upset, honestly. But she left me with the baby.”

 

Erwin nodded along attentively as Levi talked, obviously interested in what he had to say. Levi felt a little guilty that he hadn’t cared at all when Erwin told him about Armin. “And Eren? You said he was a friend’s, yes?”

 

“Yeah.” Levi bit the inside of his lip. “Abused his wife, got into drugs. My situation wasn’t very stable, but it was better than his and he had nobody else to give ‘im to. I’ve had him for two years now.”

 

“Well, he seems like a happy kid, to say the least.” Erwin peeled his eyes off of the children to smile down at Levi. Levi didn’t look up at him, but a smile threatened at the corner of his mouth.

 

“Tch. You can say that alright.”

 

They stood in a calm silence for a while longer, contentedly watching the kids play tag and hide-and-seek and go up and down the slides. “...we should get together outside of work sometime, on purpose. While the kids are somewhere,” Erwin suggested in a smooth tone. “We could grab some coffee or something.”

 

Levi scoffed, glancing up at Erwin with his eyes. “I deal with coffee every damn day. If you wanna take me out, take me somewhere that won’t make me gag.”

 

Erwin smiled. They were only watching the kids through their peripheral vision, now. “Fair enough.”

 

So they made plans to meet up at the nicest and cheapest restaurant in town, while the kids were at school and they both had a day off.

~-~-~-~-~-~

“Wow, I haven’t been on a date ever since I was given Armin,” Erwin reminisced as they found a table for two.

 

“I don’t think I’ve been on one since I was 16. Going out was never really my style.”

 

Erwin gave a slight tilt to his head. “How old are you now, speaking of? I never thought to ask.”

 

“22.”

 

“Are you really? Wow, I thought you were older…” Levi’s eyes widened a bit. Normally, people expected him to be much _younger,_ what with his puny height and all. It didn’t seem like Erwin was being sarcastic, either. “I’m 24, myself.”

 

“Into younger men, I see,” Levi joked, though with his apathetic demeanor it was hard to come off as joking. Erwin laughed, though. ...but then something occurred to him.

 

“What exactly are _you_ into, Levi? You didn’t really love your wife, and you’re here with me now….”

 

Levi just shrugged, gazing nonchalantly out the window. “I don’t have any preferences. It’s a miracle if I’m ever attracted to anyone at all.” He looked at Erwin, now, raising an eyebrow. “So I guess a saint must’ve brought you to me.”

 

Erwin raised both eyebrows, and grinned. He nudged his foot against Levi’s under the table. “Wow, that was smooth.” Levi hooked their ankles together. “I, personally, have always preferred men… But I’ve never been able to find a man I like, because the women are always swarming to me.”

 

Levi rolled his eyes. “Oh, pity. Didn’t know you came with a sob story.” He then opened up his menu and started browsing for something cheap yet also edible.

 

The night continued on from there, consisting of casual flirting and small talk. It was nice.

 

“So, Levi,” Erwin approached as they headed to the parking lot. “Would you like to do this again sometime soon?”

 

“Hell no,” Levi responded immediately. “I’ve barely got the money to keep my kiddos fed, I’m not gonna spend it on dinner with Captain America every week.”

 

Erwin stood blinking for a moment, trying to wrap his head around Levi’s response. Was he legitimately angry about having gone out with him, or was he just saying he wouldn’t spend time with him again in _this way_ -? “Do you kiss on the first date?” Levi asked abruptly.

 

That brought Erwin back to the present. He blinked some more, then smirked calmly. “I don’t think my typical standards apply here.”

 

“Great.”

 

Levi leaned back against the door of his car, and Erwin leaned down with him so he could close the massive height gap between them. While Levi braced one hand against the car and pressed the other against Erwin’s chest, Erwin cupped Levi’s face in both of his hands. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, blue on gray, before sharing a long, deep kiss. It would be the first of many.

~-~-~-~-~-~

From that point on, Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman were a couple.

 

They had various methods of flirting, but Levi’s personal favorite was writing things like “Eyebrows,” or “Hot Stuff,” or “Professor Sexy” on Erwin’s vanilla lattes when he waited for them. All of their breaks were spent together, either sharing a meal or cuddling subtly in the reading section (Levi often missed out on sleep because of Eren, so he usually fell asleep on Erwin’s shoulder). Sometimes when they kissed, Erwin would point out that Levi smelled like coffee, but tasted like tea. Levi would shut him up with more kisses.

 

They made sure to arrange playdates with their kids as frequently as possible, either at each other’s homes (usually Erwin’s, as Levi’s apartment hardly had enough room for his little family) or at the park. It was rare that they did anything with just themselves and their own kids anymore, and none of them seemed to mind. The kids loved being a group of three.

 

One night, after a long day out and the kids were exhausted by bedtime, Erwin and Levi silently agreed it was time to take their relationship to the next level. It left both of them aching horribly and it was unclear whether either of them had had homosexual sex before; but it was far from bad sex. They could tell it wouldn’t be a one-time thing.

 

A couple months into their relationship, while Erwin and Armin were at Levi’s house, a hungry Eren stumbled into the kitchen to find his dad and Armin’s dad kissing. He was completely dumbstruck. “...does dis mean…. You’s my _other_ daddy?” he asked Erwin, baffled. Erwin and Levi exchanged a glance, and Erwin smiled down at the brown-haired boy.

 

“Well, I don’t know if you could say that, little man, but your papa is someone very special to me.”

 

Eren scrunched up his face, still trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. He looked Erwin up and down, scrutinizing him, and came to a conclusion: he would have to pay closer attention to this big blonde man that his family spent so much time with.

It had been six months since they first started dating.

 

Levi had never been able to keep a job for such a long time, but it seemed as if today might be the day that made him lose it. He was in a particularly sour mood, grumbling at everyone and glaring at anyone who dared try to look him in the eye. During his lunch break (during which he ate nothing), Erwin asked him what was wrong.

 

Sighing heavily, he kneaded his forehead in his hand. “...I’m running out of money. Pretty soon, I won’t be able to pay for the apartment, and they’re going to put me and the kids out on the street.”

 

This should be something that struck Erwin with grave concern. But instead, he smiled gently. “I was going to give it another week, but… It seems now is an ideal time.” He reached across the table and took Levi’s much smaller hand in his. “Move in with me. I won’t charge you rent or anything. My house has three bedrooms, so Mikasa and Eren will have to share a room- or Eren and Armin, if gender gets to be an issue- but the bedrooms are about half the size of your entire apartment, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

Levi stared at him, wide-eyed. “...can I really ask you to do that?”

 

“No. But I’m asking _you._ Actually, no. Demanding.”

 

By the time another month had passed by, they were all settled into their new home. Mikasa and Eren were ecstatic; Levi was pretty glad, too.

 

At this point, all three kids had come to fully recognize the two men in their lives. Mikasa was plainly much closer to Levi, but she had no problems with Erwin, and Eren now absolutely _idolized_ Erwin and everything about him. Timid little Armin had a little more difficulty warming up to Levi. One night, though, when Erwin was working a late shift, he drew up the courage to ask Levi to read him a bedtime story. So, Levi picked one off of his shelf, crawled into his bed, and read to him by lamp light. Armin fell asleep cuddled into his side. It was then that both of them finally became taken with each other.

~-~-~-~-~-~

Even while balancing their jobs and their children, Erwin and Levi still managed to be a sexually active couple. When the kids were fast asleep and the mood felt right, the lights would go down and their clothes would come off.

 

Their sex was never short of intense. Both men went hard regardless of their position, putting endless passion into their kissing and biting and sucking and grabbing and anything else they decided to do. They had found out the very first time that Erwin actually didn’t have as big a package as Levi; but that was alright, because whenever they decided to put it in, Levi was always the one to take it and it would probably be a deal more painful if Erwin was any bigger. It was never clean sex, with leaking of various bodily fluids and incessant swapping of saliva, so Levi always made sure they had clean sheets ready for afterwards and that they showered after they were done. Sometimes, the shower itself was the setting for their sex. He wouldn’t admit it, but that was Levi’s favorite.

~-~-~-~-~-~

They saw no reason to be private about their relationship. They held hands when they weren’t holding the kids’ and frequently gave each other absent, affectionate pecks. But this wasn’t met with widespread acceptance. When they were out in public, people would scowl and children would point in confusion. They heard people mutter disgustedly as they passed, and feel people “accidentally” shove them. At one point, one woman even had the nerve to ask them for their names and address so she could report them to child protective services (to which Levi responded ‘Thank you for your concern, ma’am… My name is Jack, that is, J-A-C-K, Ass.’ Then he pulled Eren and Mikasa closer and walked away on Erwin’s arm).

 

It happened at work, too; one of Levi’s coworkers asked him to put in an order for a “Faggot,” and told him it would be on them. Erwin received a letter stating that it’s a shame that such a lovely library had to be run by a sinner, and that the person would no longer be borrowing their books from a place that practiced homosexuality. The worst case of all was when strong-willed little Mikasa came home sniffling, and admitted that a girl in her class told her that Levi’s going to go to Hell because he has a boyfriend. That did it for Levi, and he demanded to speak with the girl’s parents, but Erwin advised him to let it go; “People are ignorant,” he told him with a sigh.

 

Not everyone was against them, though. Erwin had a good friend named Mike who was often mistaken as gay, as his girlfriend, Nanaba, slightly resembled a male. He empathized with the discrimination they faced and supported them through-and-through. Levi’s boss saw what went down, and was disgusted. The coworker that had called Levi a faggot lost their job.

 

Their strongest supporter from the very start, however, was Hanji Zoe, an old friend of Levi’s. She was a busy scientist so she hardly had time off, but whenever she _was_ free, she would watch the kids so that Levi and Erwin could have some alone time. Her visits were rare but much appreciated by the kids, as she doted on them all like the non-biological aunt she decided she was (especially Armin, once he joined the picture; she adored his intellectual abilities).

 

“Bye bye, Aunt Hanji!” Eren called as usual after one of Hanji’s visits. He looked over at Armin and nudged him with his elbow. “She can be _your_ Aunt Hanji, too!”

 

Armin’s eyes widened; he’d never had an aunt. “Um, bye, _Aunt_ Hanji-!” he squeaked. They could hear Hanji’s squeal of delight even from across the driveway.

 

On one of her rare days off, she treated the two families to a trip to an aquarium. It was a treat for the kids, but it was also good for Erwin and Levi to spend time with another adult besides each other.

 

“So, Mr. Smith. Have you considered putting a ring on it yet?” Hanji pried while Levi made sure Eren didn’t fall into the interactive shark tank. But Hanji had never been good at whispering.

 

“We don’t have the money for that,” Levi snapped over his shoulder. “Besides, marriage is just a label, anyway. We’re already practically husbands.”

 

“That’s what we tell anyone that asks,” Erwin agreed.

 

That remained their mindset for the next year.

~-~-~-~-~-~

Eren’s terrible two’s seemed to relapse out of the blue one day. For no apparent reason, he went on a crime spree, knocking over Mikasa’s dollhouse and scribbling on the walls and refusing to eat his lunch and biting Armin hard enough to draw blood. None of Levi’s threats seemed to faze him. So, as he tried to run up the stairs screeching and with no pants on, Erwin grabbed him by the wrist and smacked him.

 

It wasn’t a hard smack, and it wasn’t across the face or anything; just a stern smack on his rear end. Plus it seemed to be effective, as Eren froze in place and shut right up. But Levi did _not_ take fondly to witnessing it.

 

He bolted down the hall and pried Erwin away from the boy, grabbing him by the collar so tightly his knuckles turned white. His eyes were burning and fierce, and his teeth were clenched hard. “If you _ever_ lay a hand on my boy again, I swear to God I’ll kick you out of this fucking house faster than you can blink,” he growled in a low, dangerous tone. Erwin was taken off guard, and only gaped at him, unsure of what exactly he did wrong or how he should respond. Levi shoved Erwin away and scooped Eren into his arms, storming up the stairs and slamming the door to his and Erwin’s bedroom closed behind him.

 

Once Erwin recovered, he quietly followed after Levi. Slowly, he reached out to turn the doorknob to their bedroom; it was locked. They kept a spare key above the doorframe, though, so he felt around for it and inserted it into the knob. He turned it gently and opened the door gradually.

 

He found Levi rocking slightly on the bed, Eren in his lap, cuddling the boy tightly against his chest and murmuring against his forehead. Erwin yearned to ask why he was so triggered; he hadn’t even _hurt_ Eren. He decided that unwise, though, and instead just sat beside him on the bed and hesitantly wrapped his arm around Levi’s shoulders. He didn’t protest.

 

To Erwin’s surprise, Levi opened up on his own, without any prompting. He drew in a deep breath, and without lifting his head, began to speak. “...when you suffer… through hell… even the most selfish bastard won’t wish what you’ve been through on anyone. The way it feels… You don’t want anyone else to feel like _shit_. Especially not the ones you love. Just the thought of Eren growing up feeling like I did… Fucking Christ, I don’t want that.” His head was hung low, so it was difficult to see, but Erwin could tell from his quivering shoulders and shaking voice that Levi was crying. This was a rare- no, impossible- sight. He pulled him closer. “I want to give him… as much love… and attention… as I can. Nobody deserves to be hated by their father. Not even the brattiest little _shit_ deserves to think their father wishes they were dead. Nobody _fucking_ deserves it.”

 

Erwin didn’t need to pry; he knew the answer to a question he’d been wondering ever since he met his bitter boyfriend. He could read between the lines. He didn’t say anything, only held him until he stopped crying. He’d never seen Eren be so quiet.

~-~-~-~-~-~

Only happy days seemed to follow after that. Levi wasn’t just doing well in his job; he got promoted to manager. The kids graduated from preschool and began kindergarten. Erwin and Levi’s relationship was progressing just as it always had, and they couldn’t be more in love. One night, all five of them had been cuddled together on the couch watching a movie. The kids had nodded off to sleep, and their fathers weren’t far behind. Erwin whispered in Levi’s ear: “Do you want to get married?” Levi only nodded sleepily in response.

 

He awoke to find a cheap- but still handsome- ring on his finger.

 

They decided it was time that Erwin told Armin he could start calling Levi “Papa,” and that Levi told Eren and Mikasa that they could call Erwin “Daddy.” Eren was the quickest to adapt. Grinning big and feeling pumped that somebody so cool was officially his dad, he bounded over to Erwin calling, “Daddy! Daddy! Pick me up, Daddy! You’re my _daddy!”_ Erwin laughed and picked him up, spinning him around like an airplane. Eren didn’t want to be put down for a long time.

 

Armin and Mikasa had a little more difficulty adjusting. Mikasa didn’t speak much as it was, but one day, Levi had gone grocery shopping with the boys while she had a cold, so she was left home alone with Erwin. “Can I get you anything, sweetheart?” Erwin asked in a murmur, brushing the girl’s thick black hair away from her face as she burrowed into a cocoon of blankets.

 

“....juice,” she told him quietly. Erwin smiled softly and nodded, immediately going to the kitchen.

 

“Here you are, beautiful.” He handed Mikasa a bottle of apple juice, unscrewing the cap for her.

 

“Thank you…” She hesitated before bringing the juice to her lips. “...Daddy…” She took a quick sip as her face turned bright red, and quickly hid her head under one of the blankets.

 

Armin had been repeatedly trying to call Levi “Papa,” but always got too nervous and ran away. One night, Erwin pulled out a bedtime story for him while Levi tucked Armin into bed, and he exclaimed, “Ooh! I like that one! Pa-” He glanced timidly up at Levi, “…... _P-Papa…_ read it to me.” Overwhelmed with himself, Armin immediately burst into tears. Levi and Erwin exchanged gentle smiles and both leaned over to kiss Armin’s cheeks.

~-~-~-~-~-~

“Alright, so outdoors, or indoors?”

 

“Indoors, it’s cleaner,” Levi answered immediately. “And in the spring.”

 

“Why not in the winter? That was when we meant, so I think that would be a little more sentimental…”

 

Levi looked at his fiancé tiredly, as if he was trying to reason with a dog. “Because then we would have to pay for heating. We’ll have it in the spring.”

 

Erwin chuckled, resting his hand on Levi’s knee under the table. “Guess there’s no convincing you otherwise.”

 

The phone rang, preventing Levi from answering Erwin’s rhetorical question. He pushed himself away from the table, leaving Erwin alone with a laptop open to various wedding planning sites. “Hello, Levi Ackerman speaking.”

 

With Levi gone, Erwin opened up a new tab and started searching for wedding gowns. Levi would _never_ agree to wearing one in a million years, but Erwin could still fantasize. He smirked mischievously as he scrolled.

 

“.... _what_? What do you mean he’s-?! Yeah. Yeah. Okay, right away.” Levi slammed the phone down and whipped around toward Erwin, his already pale face drained of all color. “Come on.”

 

Erwin narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Come where? Who was on the-”

 

“Armin is in the hospital.”

 

His words made Erwin’s heart drop down to his stomach. He stood without telling himself to, and started drifting out the door as if on autopilot.

 

“That was the school,” Levi informed him as they both suddenly broke into a sprint to the car. They left the laptop open and the house unlocked, but those were minimal dilemmas in comparison to their current concern. “They said he fell off of the jungle gym. It was bad enough that they didn’t even take him to the nurse, just called an ambulance immediately.”

 

“...oh, my god… Armin… He has to be _terrified_ right now. All by himself, with strangers poking all over him…” Erwin was a brave man, but his hands shook on the steering wheel.

 

“If he hasn’t already passed out. ...oy, don’t miss that turn, idiot!”

 

“What? But the hospital is-”

 

“-next on our list after picking up Eren and Mikasa. What, you think we’re going to leave them at school until Armin’s released?”

 

“Well you didn’t say that’s where we were going!”

 

Both men shouted at each other, but neither of them were legitimately angry. Just worried sick.

 

After going through the school’s tedious security precautions of giving their names, situation, and IDs at the door and then signing in at the office, they hurried to the kindergarten room. They weren’t greeted with a pretty sight.

 

It wasn’t difficult to find Eren, as he was the center of attention. The other children had gathered around him in a circle while he pummeled the living hell out of a fellow student, as well as a five-year-old could. The teacher was desperately trying her best to separate them, but whenever she got close Eren bit her like some animal. Mikasa stood close by, smiling.

 

Erwin immediately dove in and ripped the furious little boy away. Even in midair, Eren continued to kick, scratch, and shriek. “What are you _doing?!”_ Erwin shouted, setting Eren on the floor but keeping a firm grip on him so he couldn’t pull away (which he certainly attempted to). “Eren Jaeger, calm down this _instant!_ What is the matter with you?! You could have KILLED that boy!”

 

But Erwin’s booming voice fell silent in his throat. Eren had ceased thrashing around, and began to cry. Mikasa broke away from the crowd and gave her brother a hug. Erwin and Levi exchanged confused, concerned glances.

 

They managed to make it to the hospital once the atmosphere in the classroom calmed down a little. It was a short, silent trip. Armin was sleeping when they got to him, looking immensely too small for his bed with a cast on his arm. Erwin and Levi were strong, hard-to-move men, but they both had to draw in deep, calming breaths to keep from bursting into tears. They each sat on Armin’s bedsides, Levi stroking his disheveled blonde hair and Erwin gently holding his good hand. Eren and Mikasa stood off to the side, just watching.

 

It occurred to them after a few slow minutes ticked by and their heartbeats began to slow down that something was wrong with Mikasa. It wasn’t unusual for her to not be talkative, but in this instance, her silence felt uncomfortable. “...Mikasa? Sweetie? Do you need to talk?” Levi asked gently, resting his hand on Armin’s forehead while he looked over at his children.

 

Mikasa shifted awkwardly in her seat. She glanced at Eren, who was staring at the floor and sniffling miserably. Tears were beginning to brim up in her own eyes. “...Armin didn’t fall off the jungle gym… He got pushed.” Levi and Erwin both froze, completely focusing on her. “That boy that Eren was beating up… H-he told Armin, that all thwee of us are gonna go to Hell, ‘cause God hates people with two daddies or two mommies… And then he, um, pushed him. And he broke his arm.”

 

Levi and Erwin slowly glanced at each other in shock. Mikasa began to cry, then, so Levi got up and pulled her into his arms; Eren was still sniveling, so he brought him into the hug, too. Nobody spoke again until Armin woke up, and even then nobody spoke to _each other._

 

They arrived home late that night. Erwin and Levi tucked Mikasa and Eren into bed twice, and then stayed by Armin’s side until he fell asleep. It wasn’t until the men returned to their bedroom that they spoke to each other for the first time that evening. “...we can’t do this, Erwin.”

 

“Can’t do _what,”_ Erwin asked tiredly, collapsing onto the bed and pulling on his robe.

 

“ _This_!” Levi gestured around him as if that made things any clearer. “Because of us, because of what we are, the kids are getting hurt.”

 

...so that’s what he was talking about. Erwin pushed himself back onto his feet, sighing. “This was only one time, with only one of the kids.” He reached out to rest a hand on Levi’s shoulder, but he smacked him away.

 

“What guarantee is there that this will be the _last_ time?!” Levi’s voice was gradually getting louder. “Those poor kids will be hated and discriminated against for the rest of their _lives,_ for something they can’t even help! ...but _we_ can.” Eyes flaming with rage just like they had when Erwin smacked Eren, Levi ripped the ring off of his finger and tossed it at his fiancé. Erwin just barely managed to catch it, but as he did Levi stormed out of the room.

 

“Where are you _going_?!” he shouted exasperatedly at his back. Levi didn’t reply. His mind wasn’t functioning clearly, but he was focusing on one thought: _if my kids are going to be happy, I have to leave Erwin._ In his moment of hysterics, he believed that to be true.

 

He threw open the door to Eren and Mikasa’s bedroom, where they had just barely drifted off to sleep. “Get up. We’re leaving,” he demanded. They were confused at first, but seeing how serious Levi looked, they sat themselves up and stumbled out of bed. Levi grabbed them by the hands before their feet even touched the floor. He pulled them all the way down the stairs and to the door without protest, but it seemed that Eren had fully woken up once he grasped the doorknob.

 

“I don’t wanna go,” he whined.

 

“You’re too young to understand, it, Eren, but we have to leave. Bad things will happen to you, like they happened to Armin, if you have a papa _and_ a daddy,” Levi explained to him, doing his best to keep his frustration out of his voice. He tugged on Eren’s arm, but he wouldn’t budge. He’d dug his heels into the carpet.

 

“No!” Eren shrieked loud enough to make Levi flinch. “I don’t wanna leave Daddy and Armin! Even if it makes bad stuff happen! ‘Cause… ‘Cause I have _fun_ with them! And they’re my _family!”_ Levi briefly glanced at Mikasa, and she nodded in agreement. “If… If you take us away from Daddy and Armin… I’ll hate you _forever!_ And ever and ever and _ever!”_ Eren insisted.

 

Levi froze. He tried so hard to keep the stupid kids happy; would something so minor really be enough to make Eren _hate_ him? ...or maybe, it wasn’t so minor. He groaned, squeezing his forehead in exasperation. He released Eren and Mikasa’s hands and slammed the door shut, storming off to the living room and throwing himself down on the couch. Eren and Mikasa glanced at each other, then followed after him. The three of them fell asleep huddled together on the same couch.

 

When Erwin came downstairs to see if Levi had calmed down, he smiled gently and draped a blanket over them. He then made himself a bed on Armin’s bedroom floor; his own bed would be too lonely without Levi.

 

The following morning, they allowed the kids to sleep in and skip school, and called into work to take the day off. Things were awkward between Levi and Erwin as they met in the kitchen to make their tea and coffee. Even though they’d bicker constantly- it was impossible not to, with Levi’s pugnacious attitude- neither of them had ever attempted to leave, especially under such short notice. Plus, Levi had never lost his temper in front of the kids. They avoided each other’s eye as they brewed their beverages.

 

But their hands met as they simultaneously reached for the jug of milk. They stared at each other, wide-eyed, unsure of what to say or if they should say anything at all. ...then Erwin let Levi have the milk first, and reached into the pocket of his robe. He pulled out the ring Levi had discarded the night before and offered it out to him. Levi glanced at it uncertainly as he poured his milk. Biting his lip, he let out a defeated sigh and snatched the ring out of his palm, sliding it back onto his finger. Erwin smiled. “We won’t be able to afford a wedding now, with those hospital bills,” he muttered, stirring his tea.

 

Erwin took the milk for his coffee. “We could put it off longer, until we make the money back… Or, we could always just not have a wedding at all. We could simply sign the marriage registration forms and be done with it.”

 

Levi paused as he brought his teacup up to his lips. “...well, I never was one for making a big deal out of things. Let’s just sign the papers.”

 

Their eyes met as Levi took a sip of his tea. He set the cup down without breaking their gaze, while Erwin wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close. Levi’s hands caressed Erwin’s cheeks, his thumbs skirting across his lips. He truly was a handsome man… Levi was lucky. They kissed; it seemed like an eternity before they pulled away. It had been a long time since they’d kissed like that. “I love you,” Erwin whispered, their foreheads still pressed together.

 

Levi raised his eyebrows. Had they ever said those words? “I love you”? Surely they had… After all, they’d been together for so long, and knew how in love they were.... ...but maybe they’d never felt the need to tell each other. “....I love you, too,” Levi managed to say. Erwin smiled, and kissed him again. And again. And again. And again.

 

They glanced at the clock; it was still early in the morning, the kids probably wouldn’t be awake for at least a few more hours. All Erwin had to do was shimmy Levi out of his pants, pull his own boxers down, and lean Levi over the counter. ...they hadn’t done it this way in a while, and that just made it all the more inviting.

 

Erwin didn’t make his coffee that morning. They were too busy cleaning up other things before the kids woke up to worry about cleaning up their morning beverages.

~-~-~-~-~-~

A year passed by. The night were Levi had tried to leave was forgotten within a month; by the kids, at least. Levi and Erwin would look back upon it whenever their tempers started to flare up, and used it as motivation to calm down. As the months went by, they started bickering in front of the kids (unintentionally), but none of them really seemed bothered by it. It was just a natural part of their papa and daddy’s relationship. Besides: Levi and Erwin found that the constant little disagreements prevented them from bottling things up to be released in a big fight.

 

Once Armin’s arm healed enough to be reduced to a sling, Levi and Erwin had gotten the marriage papers together. Nobody even would have known outside of their little family if Hanji hadn’t asked when they were going to get hitched, and Levi told her they already had.

 

The kids had fully adapted to being siblings, and adored the feeling of having two parents- even if they were both fathers. Erwin and Levi’s days didn’t vary much work wise, but the kids always kept them entertained: Armin always had a new word he had discovered or a new book to read; Mikasa always had a new trick or move she had learned (she had joined the soccer team while also taking ballet lessons); and Eren was just always full of energy, and had a new cut or bruise to tend to.

 

They were a strange family, but they were a good one. Levi smiled a lot more these days- even at work.

 


End file.
